


but i'm looking at you now, and i can't believe we're here

by hungryforramen



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Headcanon, M/M, One Shot, Post-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:40:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23245672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hungryforramen/pseuds/hungryforramen
Summary: His mind ran through everything over and over again—his LED blinking yellow—which resulted in him fearing to face the only person he wanted to see and be with.
Relationships: Hank Anderson/Connor
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	but i'm looking at you now, and i can't believe we're here

**Author's Note:**

> I suppose I wanted something more than a mid-credit hug, you know?
> 
> Hope you like it!
> 
> [title: broods - couldn't believe]

The drizzle outside the automated Detroit taxi worsened as it cruised more than 10 kilometres outside the city of Detroit.

Connor’s fingers begin to fiddle the old American coin he fished out of his breast pocket earlier, doing his best to concentrate and meditate to the low hum of the taxi accompanied by the soft swishing sound of rainwater as other cars, taxis, and busses sped past his taxi.

He was restless. His fingers kept interlacing with one another, pressing the coin into his palm, waiting for the moment it’d feel right to him. It didn’t. Unable to fathom his restlessness, he began tapping his feet on the carpeted floor of the taxi. A mixture of impatience and nervousness toiled in him as his mind skimmed through scenarios, programming himself to react appropriately to everything. The LED ring etched in his temple flashed yellow, then red, and then yellow again before settling with blue.

Connor has reached the point he couldn’t keep himself together. It had been something he struggled with since his deviance kicked in, but it was something he had learned to embrace. He forced his android body to slouch slightly—he had learned it after seeing humans doing it when they feel blue—but his body recoiled to his original state after a few seconds of resistance.

Since Connor turned deviant, he was determined to assimilate with the humans. It was the only way to prove they weren’t hostile and were able to co-exist. His ‘clothes’, albeit he only changed it three times in the past six months were… _human_. Nothing of Connor’s were mementoes of CyberLife, but the LED ring that glowed in his temple. Unlike other Androids, he didn’t take it off of him. Those were the days of being controlled by greedy humans playing Gods after successfully created and purchased Androids that lined up against the window of Cyberlife’s showrooms, depreciating their value in society.

It wasn’t long until the taxi took a left at a familiar junction towards the lower-middle-class suburb. Connor’s LED ring began blinking yellow furiously, panicking. If he was human, his heart would thump mercilessly. Connor welcomed the instability of his inhuman being. It reminded him that, at least, he knew he was _conscious_ in some shape or form.

The taxi pulled over next to a pavement. Connor felt the sinking feeling in his Android mind, and began replaying all the simulation he had taught himself on his way to the housing area.

Connor stepped out of the taxi, watching it turning and driving away. The rain instantly soaked into his cap, his jacket, his shoes and socks. He wiped his face but to no avail. The rain kept pouring mercilessly and it was time for Connor to make a move.

He began to pace towards a beaten house with chipped white paint. It wasn’t the first time Connor had been there. The porch of the house looked the same. The old car was there too, parked awkwardly in the shed as if its owner had no care in the world. _Typical_ , Connor thought.

But the mountain bike that sprawled right in front of the doorstep caught his eyes. Connor didn’t need to scan to know that the bike was relatively new. Its owner had it for at least two months. He smiled as he thought about why the owner got the bike in the first place. It was peculiar, but Connor could understand why.

Alas, some things never change. Connor picked it up off the ground and perched it against the wall, its white paint severely discoloured.

Connor just stood there. He needed to rethink if it was right for him to be there. After all that happened, he might not be welcomed anymore.

The sound of the heavy rain hitting the pavement enveloped him as he tried to find comfort in the present. His mind ran through everything over and over again—his LED blinking yellow—which resulted in him fearing to face the only person he wanted to see and be with. There weren’t any reasons for that person to refuse to see him, if Connor’s memory served him well, but…

Connor identified his nervousness. And anxiousness. He felt terribly… _human_.

Connor wished he hadn’t turned deviant sometimes, but there was nothing wrong with feeling human. _Being_ human. He knew there wasn’t a way for him to revert to his old, cold, robotic self. Even if there was, Connor would wholeheartedly refuse that chance.

He once wondered if turning off his ‘mind’ would lessen the feelings he felt as soon as his deviance kicked in. There was no way to turn any of his components off without shutting down or accidentally rebooting himself. That would suck.

‘It’s now or never, Connor. Come on,’ he finally amped himself up. ‘ _So come on and knock the door!_ ’

He could feel every inch of his ‘body’ fighting to reach the door that his mind had to overpower everything in order to reach his goal.

As soon as he approached the simple wooden door, the unsettling feeling sunk as soon as his hands curled and knocked on the door rapidly with a force that stunned him. _Oh no, oh no, ohnoohnoohnoohno!_

Connor couldn’t move. His mind wanted him to run, but his body betrayed him. His mind tried forcing his body but Connor knew his body was fighting the urge.

So, he stood there, waiting for a response—any response—from the other side of the door. The nervousness made his LED blink yellow—then red—aggressively. His stress level skyrocketed.

This time, he knocked on the door again. No answer.

It was at this point that Connor’s worries shifted to fear. He refrained himself from using any of his Android abilities since he had replaced Markus as the leader and moderator between humans and deviants… but the absence of footsteps, or a creak on the floor, or even an angry grunt… Darn his abstinence.

Connor backed away from the door, ready to dash through it. And he did run for it.

Before his shoulder could bust the door into a million blisters, it slowly creaked open, prompting Connor to forcibly halt in his tracks. His hands held the frame before he managed to damage it. Instead, Connor’s eyes widened as soon as his eyes laid on a middle-aged man who looked very much alive and well, but dishevelled as ever.

Hank rubbed his eyes sleepily.

‘Goddamn it, who—,’ the gruff voice began, galled by the sudden knock on the door. He had just fallen asleep after working over a day at the precinct.

‘Hank.’

Hank stopped. His eyes were desperately adjusting his blurry vision. He could piece it together now, but he stopped himself before he could utter the wrong name and hurt his unexpected guest’s feelings.

But that _voice_.

There was no way Hank could forget that voice.

‘Connor?’ As soon as his vision cleared, he blinked a few more times and bit his tongue. He felt the pain, and Connor didn’t magically turn into a sentient Android postman. Hank wasn’t dreaming.

Connor saw the light in Hank’s eyes, but there was a part of him that felt oddly heartbroken when Hank took a defensive step back. Hank wanted a better view of the figure standing in front of him. He titled his head up and down. ‘It’s you,’ Hank said softly, but added, ‘is it?’

‘It’s been a while, Hank,’ Connor replied.

Swallowing nervously, Hank agreed. ‘Yeah, it’s been a while.’

This wasn’t the meeting they hoped for. On top of not seeing each other for over six months, the last time they met wasn’t exactly the way Connor wanted to say goodbye, and Hank being cautious didn’t really help their case either. It wasn’t their fault. Connor had been held captive at every attempt to defend his kind, sacrificing himself for progress and acceptance. Hank had no way of finding where Connor was or how he was doing. His superiors had kept him in the dark the entire time and they saw to it until the moment they were sure Hank was once again buried under piles of homicide cases, too busy to drink his nightmares away.

It wasn’t their fault.

Hank noticed the LED light in Connor’s temple turned red for second before turning back to yellow. He instantly knew Connor was assessing his composure. He shifted his weight and cleared his throat. ‘Are you… reading me?’

Hank’s voice wasn’t hostile, but Connor wanted to avoid anything that could cause friction between them. His LED turned blue in a blink of an eye.

‘Sorry, Lieutenant. I didn’t mean to—’

‘Is that really you, Connor?’

Connor understood why Hank had to be defensive. ‘RK800. And I’m wondering if Sumo’s well,’ he replied simply.

‘You look… _different_ ,’ Hank remarked.

Connor smiled, pulling his sleeve tightly, embracing his human side. ‘Human clothes look good on me, I guess, although it’s torn. Didn’t you see me on TV?’

‘TV’s are white noises to help old men fall asleep,’ he retorted. ‘So, no, I didn’t.’

 _Hank, ever the grouch_ , Connor thought. He peered into Hank’s house, possibly where he had fallen asleep a while ago. ‘You say that but you’re doing the same thing.’

Taken aback, Hank replied in a low voice. ‘Shut up.’

The rain outside had subsided and drizzled, faded into the background as they tried to process the unexpected.

Connor wanted to close the space between them and fill the awkwardness with their chatter, and maybe get Hank riled up a bit. That had been fun to watch sometimes. Catch up, talk about absolutely nothing, tell each other how much they had missed each other, and maybe… just maybe…

Hank missed his partner and his waywardness. The challenge to work with an android and spending time with him for what it felt like half of his life. Connor was his unlikely partner, but after a while, everything fell into place and it felt all right. The new partner he was assigned to was a son of a gun who recently got a promotion. Bearable, but he was no Connor. Maybe Hank wanted someone more efficient and perceptive… Maybe Hank found comfort in the Android. He was about to find out.

Connor was yanked closer to Hank, ultimately closing the gap between them. The embrace was full of fury, sorrow, and distress. And there was something lingering at the back of their minds. It was longing.

‘How dare you do that? How dear you risked your life like that Connor!’ Hank raised his voice to the point it was breaking and desperate for answers. ‘I was worried sick the moment they held you at gunpoint! You should have surrendered, you bastard! I was _scared_ for you!’

This wasn’t the reaction Connor had anticipated. Stunned, he raised his arms slowly but surely, and reciprocated Hank’s embrace. He was in disbelief. None of the scenarios he has simulated in his mind had prepared him for this, so Connor allowed what his consciousness wanted him to do.

‘I-I didn’t mean to—’

‘You should never have done that, Connor, damn it!’ Hank shouted in frustration. ‘You should never have done that.’

His mind couldn’t conjure a reply. None of the answers he could think of could atone the emotional distress he had subjected Hank with his actions, but if he hadn’t stepped up for the betterment of his kind, being with Hank would be impossible. He would still be shackled by Amanda and CyberLife. And thanks to Markus and Jericho’s revolution, they were now accepted though the progress was slow.

 _How ironic_ , Connor thought, _a cyber-life feeling very much alive_.

It was a while until he could say anything. ‘I’m sorry,’ was all Connor could muster.

Hank was silent until he broke it with a stifling sniff. ‘I understand what you had to do was important for Androids. But some things aren’t worth the risk.’

Connor sighed. ‘It was, or else I wouldn’t be here with you. We succeeded in our cause, and all this while I had you in my mind. I didn’t want to lose you, your kindness and your understanding. If it weren’t for you, I’d… I couldn’t go on.’

Pulling Connor away, Hank’s lips curved into a small crescent. A soft, happy smile. Connor quickly captured the moment so he could forever replay it.

‘God, Connor. I just can’t believe that you’re here… partner.’ Hank finally said, realising that the front of his t-shirt was now soaking wet.

Connor caught Hank’s face, slightly flushed. Hank’s eyes were glassy too, but he held everything back in an attempt not to dampen the moment.

Connor smiled like a fool; an Android capable of human emotion, too happy and giving in to his own feelings at his own will. Relief washed over them. Reunited… again.

‘I missed you too, Hank.’

Hank held a hand out. Connor was confused. He kept looking back at Hank and Hank’s arm, and it rendered a chuckle from Hank.

‘Come in, dummy. Let’s get you dry clothes,’ he said softly.

Connor reached out for the hand, almost scouring for it desperately, welcoming the gentle tug as Hank led him inside the house. Connor’s hands reached for the knob, closing the door behind them.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're reading this, that means you've made it. Thank you!
> 
> Hope you're doing well, wherever you are. These are very confusing and scary times, so I do hope you're tucked in, snug, and warm.
> 
> Do leave a Kudo and a comment if you feel like it.
> 
> My [tumblr](http://justlikedomino.com).
> 
> This fic should not be posted anywhere else but here and on my [writing blog](http://ghoulishlytokyo.tumblr.com).


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